The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-10-04
CHI Guilty 8nllFtim,
TUESDAY, OCT. 4. 1887.
TIE EVOLUTION OF TIE UNION
JACk.n

OHuhs
The most familiar English flag is
the ensign or Union Jack, by no
means artistic or admirable attempt
to combine the several ensigns of
the three countries of the United
Kingdom. The early patron saint
of England was st. George, whose
ensign, adopted as the standard of
the country, was a red cross on q
white field. st. Andrew was the
patron saint OF Scotland, and his
banner was q white diagonal cross
on a blue field. On the union of
England and Scotland under James
l, these two ensigns were combined
into the first Union Jack, forming q
square red cross over a white dia-
gonal cross on n field Of blue. On
the union with Ireland in 1901 the
banner of that country's patron, St.
Patrick, a red diagonal cross on a
white field, was added, completing
the present Union Jack with a bar
OF red along the white bars of st.
Andrew. This Jack is the canton
of the British naval and commercial
flags, the commercial flag being a
white field quartered 10y red cross,
the canton occupying the first
square the merchant flag being the
canton on red field unquartered.
The word "Jack" is supposed TO be
derived from the iacque or surcoat,
charged with st. George cross, worn
by the English soldiers in the cru
sades, the name in time being trans
ferred to the cross itself, and finally
to the flag bearing the cross. The
present royal standard of England
was first hosted on the Tower JAN
uary /, 1901, and may be thus des-
cribed: A banner in four quarters,
first and fourth red with three lions
PEASANT gardant in pale gold, for
England ; the second yellow, with
red lion rampant within a double
frame or border (tressure) flory
counter nory, for Scotland; the
third blue, bearing gold harp with
silver strings, for Ireland. This
flag is always displayed at the main
mast when the Sovereign or men,
Der of the royal family is on board
ship, and is also hoisted over the
royal residence. Next in import
ance to the royal standard is the
Admiralty flag, which is red,
charged along the centre, with an
anchor and cable. The Lord-Lieu-
tenant Of Ireland has q special flag,
which is the Union Jack, supporting
in the centre a blue shield charged
with a golden harp. Until 1864
there were three different ensigns
borne by the ships of the British
navy, but in that year Her Majesty
ordered the white ensign, with its
broad and narrow pennants, to be
established as the colors of the
royal navy, the use of the red and
blue colors being reserved for spe-
cial occasions. 1t may interest
readers TO know that in 177G the
American flag, with its red and
white stripes numbering the original
States, bore as It's canton the Bril-
fish Union Jack. This was dis
placed in l777, however, and thir-
teen white stars in a circle on a
blue field indicated the severance
of ties between Old and New Eng
land. This unwillingness TO entirely
abandon the flag of the old Govern
ment in the attempt to establish o
new order was manifest in the action
of the Southern Confederacy in
adopting a flag. It's flag of 1861,
though of three bars only, was of
red, white and red, ana had Q
canton of white stars circled on q
blue field, though there were only
nine stars. As this bore close re-
semblance to a Federal flag when
seen at distance, change was
made in 1868, when o canton of red
with diagonal cross of blue. spotted
with thirteen white stars, was set on
white banner. AS this dag was
once or twice mistaken for flag of
truce at q distance, a further change
was made, a perpendicular bar of
red being given to the flag at the
"fy" end. This was the flag of
the Confederaoy at the time of The
surrender. - From the Scottish
News, August s, 1887.